Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the details of the eligibility of a sports club for CLÁR programme funding; the application process and criteria used to adjudicate applications; if clubs can use the programme to fund capital projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5468/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The CLÁR programme (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. The programme was originally launched in 2004, but was closed to new applications in 2009. I recently re-opened CLÁR programme, with a focus on three separate measures:- Measure 1: Safety Measures for Schools and Community/Sports Facilities

- Measure 2: Playgrounds and Multi-Use Games Areas

- Measure 3: Local Access Roads.

Under the Playgrounds and Multi-Use Games Areas measure, a number of sports clubs received funding to enhance playground facilities.

I understand that in the past, the CLÁR programme could provide a top-up to Sports Capital Grants, subject to overall level of public funding not exceeding 80% of the total project costs. This top-up was approved for projects that were selected under the Sports Capital Grants Scheme run by the then Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and recommended for CLÁR funding. No new applications for this top-up have been accepted since 2009.

I have secured a budget of €5 million for CLÁR for 2017 and the measures to be implemented under the programme, as well as details of the application process, will be announced shortly. While I currently have no plans to introduce a top-up for the Sports Capital Grant, I will keep the matter under consideration in finalising the measures to be supported.